Jasmine Casimir // Asst. Sports Director
While Martin Luther King Jr. Day may be a holiday for some to take time to attend parades, the men’s basketball team won’t be able to partake on any festivities. The Panthers will be all about business as they will be spending their Monday practicing to prep for their next home game on Thursday, Jan. 19 against Middle Tennessee at 7 p.m.
“As far as I can remember, our schedules have always conflicted with MLK Day because of a game we have to get ready for,” said sophomore redshirt forward Hassan Hussein.
The team was aware that it would be busy with practice for the holiday, so the Panthers decided to give back to the community by teaching 21 blind children from the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, ages 5-12, how to play basketball on Jan. 5, 2017.
The event was held in the auxiliary gym on the second floor of FIU Arena after the basketball team wrapped up its 11 a.m. practice.
“It was great to see those guys interacting with the kids,” said Director of Sports Information Mike Hogan.
The goal was to give the children an opportunity to learn how to play the game of basketball through touch and sound.
“I enjoyed myself honestly,” said sophomore forward Michael Douglas. “I was able to get an insight on their lives, and they ended up teaching me some things.”
This would not be the first time that the team has made time to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Back in 2011, the team visited the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia, while on the road for a game.
Douglas mentioned that because his background is African-American, he usually spent his time celebrating the holiday with his family with cookouts and music at home.
“This was really different for me, but I’m happy that I was able to go out my comfort zone and do something different,” said Douglas. “It was very humbling for me.”
The team usually does not do anything together for the holiday due to schedule conflict, but Hussein said that he would like for that to change in the future.
“I would like to do more things like the event we just had for kids with my teammates for holidays like this,” he said. “It was a great experience for us.”
The team will be traveling to El Paso Texas for a matchup against University of Texas El Paso on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 9 p.m.
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